…meaningful, and delightful. As are handwritten notes of all kinds, or handwritten journal entries on a scrapbook page. From a piece entitled, “Don’t Forget To Write”:
…questions and musings must be handwritten. Typing would be sacrilegious, because writing a letter isn’t just about the words. Handwriting makes you slow down and order your thoughts. You can’t erase as easily as you can backspace, especially if you write with pen. And pen is a must! What kind? Well, that depends on the letter. Take Anne Shirley’s remarks to Gilbert Blythe on the subject:
In daylight I belong to the world . . . in the night to sleep and eternity. But in the dusk I’m free from both and belong only to myself
. . . and you. So I’m going to keep this hour sacred to writing to you. Though this won’t be a love-letter. I have a scratchy pen and I can’t write love-letters with a scratchy pen . . . or a sharp pen . . . or a stub pen. So You’ll only get that kind of letter from me when I have exactly the right kind of pen.
Anne of Windy Poplars, by L.M. Montgomery
Think there’s nothing to write about?
To write a letter is to tell a story, to share some of our life with someone dear to us. It is the story of those important and mundane events that shape our everyday lives. Letters take forethought and concentration because they are a process, a kind of reflection. Because of the travel time and response time, weeks can pass between letters, and these weeks are full. Claim to lead an uninteresting life? Think again.
Definitely read the whole thing. And then limber up your fingers, get out your favorite pen and paper, and delight someone.